Bumble bee pollinated Chamaecrista fasciculata provides pollen as the sole reward to its pollinators. Male sterility, expressed as an absence or nearly complete absence of pollen production, occurs in low frequency in populations of C. fasciculata. Here we describe experiments, using C. fasciculata, to examine frequently cited determinants of the spread and maintenance of male sterility: compen...

In common bean, cytoplasmic male sterility has been associated with a unique sequence found in the mitochondrial genome, designated pvs (for Phaseolus vulgaris sterility sequence). Within the pvs sequence, two open reading frames are encoded, ORF98 and ORF239. We have raised rabbit polyclonal antibodies against Pvs-ORF239 to evaluate the role of this putative male sterility-associated protein. ...

Male sterility is defined as the failure of plants to produce functional anthers, pollen, or male gametes. First documentation of male sterility came in 1763 when Kölreuter observed anther abortion within species and specific hybrids. It is more prevalent than female sterility, probably because, male sporophyte and gametophyte less protected from environment than ovule and embryo sac. Male ster...

Transfer of Cytoplasmic Male Sterility into Rice Diversifying the existing cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS) sources of rice is indispensable for a sustainable production system of hybrid seed. Ahmadikhah et al. report that maintainer line Yosen B was converted to a CMS line (Yosen A) in three generations by markerassisted backcrossing. The recurrent parent genome content of the final CMS line w...

Brassicaceae crops display strong hybrid vigor, and have long been subject to F1 hybrid breeding. Because the most reliable system of F1 seed production is based on cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS), various types of CMS have been developed and adopted in practice to breed Brassicaceae oil seed and vegetable crops. CMS is a maternally inherited trait encoded in the mitochondrial genome, and the ...

Cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS), a condition under which a plant is unable to produce functional pollen, is widespread among higher plants. CMS systems represent a valuable tool in the production of hybrid seed in self-pollinating crop species, including maize, rice, cotton, and a number of vegetable crops. Hybrids often exhibit heterosis, more commonly known as hybrid vigor, whereby hybrid pr...